COTE’s Climate Action Guide to AIA26
Climate Action, Community, and Connection in San Diego
June 10–13, 2026 | San Diego
The AIA Conference on Architecture returns to San Diego June 10–13, and the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Leadership Group—alongside many COTE volunteers, members, and allied groups across the COTE Network—is looking forward to gathering once again.
Each year, the conference offers more than CE credits and keynote moments. It is a chance for the COTE community to reconnect, exchange ideas, celebrate design leadership, and continue advancing our shared work around climate action, resilience, and design excellence.
This year’s conference theme, “Intersections,” is especially resonant for the COTE community, where sustainability, equity, performance, and practice innovation continue to converge in meaningful ways.
👉 Quick Links
We hope you’ll join us in San Diego for these featured COTE gatherings and climate-focused sessions.
Featured COTE Events + Gatherings
AIA Awards Gala and After Party / EV316
Wednesday, June 10 | 6–10 p.m.
Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Bayfront Park
AIA’s major national honors will be celebrated during the Awards Gala, including this year’s COTE Top Ten recipients and other national award winners.
Fee: $350 | After-party only: $75
👉 Register here
Framework for Design Excellence Workshop / EV358
Wednesday, June 10 | 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
A must-attend workshop for those looking to deepen their understanding of the Framework and how it continues to shape performance-driven, equitable design practice.
Climate Action Open Forum / EV355
Thursday, June 11 | 2–3:30 p.m.
Designed as a facilitated, high-energy exchange, this session creates space for curated networking, shared learning, and cross-disciplinary dialogue around this year’s theme, “Intersections.”
👉 Get more info here
COTE Top Ten Celebration / EV351
Thursday, June 11 | 7–9 p.m.
LPA Design Studios
Presented by AIA COTE, this annual celebration honors the 2026 Top Ten winners, widely recognized as the industry’s premier awards program for sustainable design excellence.
👉 Get more info here
Daily Sessions the COTE Community Should Have on Its Radar
Below is a curated selection of sessions, tours, symposia, and events featuring members of the COTE community or centered on climate action, resilience, and building performance. For the most up-to-date times, room assignments, CE details, and registration requirements, we encourage readers to use the live schedule.
👉 View the full AIA26 schedule
Wednesday, June 10
Thursday, June 11
Friday, June 12
Saturday, June 13
Helpful Tips for Navigating AIA26
- Use the Track filter in the full conference schedule to quickly surface sustainability, resilience, and climate-related sessions.
- Regular conference sessions do not require advance sign-up.
- Events, tours, symposia, and open studios do require registration, and some include additional fees.
- If you know of sessions that should be added—or spot any errors—please email Bruce Boul, and we’ll do our best to update the guide.
See You in San Diego!
More than ever, AIA26 is an opportunity for the COTE community to come together around the urgent work of climate action, high-performance design, and practice transformation.
Whether you’re attending a workshop, celebrating this year’s Top Ten winners, or connecting with peers over shared challenges and new ideas, we hope this guide helps you make the most of your time in San Diego.
*Special thanks to Katie Nordenson for her work on this compilation.